Borough recognized for energy innovation

By: Eric Poole, Ledger Staff

Monday

Apr 18, 2011 at 12:01 AM

Five years ago, Ellwood City began the process of replacing its streetlights and stoplights with low-energy-usage light-emitting diode devices to save money and boost a local business, not to win awards.

But that's what happened Friday in Harrisburg, when the borough was among nine municipalities and eight individuals to receive Governor's Awards for Local Government Excellence. Ellwood City was given the honor for most innovative energy conservation and efficiency.

Borough Manager Dom Viccari and council President Anthony "Lefty" DeCarbo represented Ellwood City at the award ceremony and received congratulations from Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley. Viccari said he had known about the awards, but hadn't thought of entering until last year.

"Every year, I just saw the brochure and I would just throw it away," he said. "Then I took a closer look."

What Viccari found was a category seemingly created for the borough's LED lighting program.

Ellwood City began that program in 2006 after the borough manager had a chance conversation with a DEP official who said LED lights would be a future trend in energy savings, and that Jim Wassel, then operating a business in Zelienople, was developing promising technology in the field.

All Wassel needed was funding and a test case. Ellwood City allowed Wassel, now chief science officer for Wayne Township-based Appalachian Lighting Systems Inc., to replace a conventional streetlight with an LED device he designed.

The new light used 66 watts, less than one-fourth the conventional 450-watt fixture. The borough applied for - and received - around $500,000 for the installation of more LED streetlights. Since that successful test, the borough has replaced nearly 450 of its 796 streetlights and will have almost 200 more in place by the end of this year.

Ellwood City is now using the savings from the existing LED streetlights - which cut electricity costs by around 70 percent - to finance future installations. Viccari said it's fitting that all of borough government was honored, because developing the LED lighting was an all-around effort.

"Council never wavered in their support for the program," he said.

And Appalachian Lighting Systems isn't doing badly itself. Its garage and warehouse fixtures are the top-rated devices in the world, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and it received contracts to install lighting in the Allegheny County Jail, Pittsburgh International Airport and the Philadelphia Flyers' practice facility.

With Appalachian Lighting Systems developing office and other indoor lighting, Viccari said the borough isn't stopping with LED streetlights. The borough has already installed the Appalachian-designed devices in the council meeting chambers and more are likely to come, the manager said.

But the borough still isn't expecting, or even looking for, awards. Viccari said Friday's honor was plenty.

"I'm excited we got it because we didn't expect it," he said.

Eric Poole can be reached online at epoole@ellwoodcityledger.com.

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